The Seeds Have Been Planted

Last week was special. It wasn't always easy, but it was special! We are all fortunate to have each other, and to be able to take a week to just honor the present, past, and future of our families. There's nothing quite like a family reunion.

Last week was beautiful, but in some ways, it was set against a backdrop of something very ugly. As we gathered for our final meals of the week on the Vineyard, violence was unfolding just a few states away. Violence fueled by the same hate that our families have endured and conquered, generation after generation.

I found it hard to concentrate on our goodbyes—I have always been a a bit restless. As my mind drifted towards the events in Charlottesville, I never saw them as unrelated to, or disconnected from our family reunion. After all, we gathered last week to celebrate and commemorate the very thing that White supremacists hate and fear the most—beautiful, successful, fearless Black people. I am not afraid or hopeless because I know how I am fighting—education is my weapon of choice, and I am going upstream to try to help young people understand, dismantle and build.

I spent the week before our family reunion reflecting on the 2020 Conference and my experiences in that community of educators and high school students from across the Bay Area and beyond. It was powerful and beautiful, and it is something that our communities need more of. I already asked many of you for support in making this conference happen and more than a few of you have.

Now I am asking again. Maybe you meant to donate but haven't yet. Maybe you donated $10 and would like to up the ante. Maybe you figure that I will keep asking until you finally donate. These are all valid reasons to throw down, and I hope that you pick at least one reason. The seeds have been planted, please help us make the 2020 Conference sustainable!

Pura Vida,

Drew